Bachmann

Bachmann

Overview

Manufacturer

Bachmann

Main material

Plastic

Released

2002 (HO Scale)

2009 (G Scale)

2015 (Narrow Gauge)

Bachmann is a model railway company that has made Thomas and Friends models in HO scale since 2002 and G scale since 2009. The models are made from special toolings to accurately resemble the characters just as they are in the television series. Almost all of the locomotives have a special moving-eyes-mechanism that allows the eyes to look back and forth across the tracks as the locomotive moves along.

The HO models are not available outside of North America, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, as Hornby holds the OO/HO Thomas license overseas, though the Bachmann models are compatible with the Hornby models by virtue of having identical coupling systems.

On Emily's HO model and G scale model, her water filler cap is green instead of black.

Later releases of Thomas' HO model feature two holes behind his front bufferbeam so that his snowplough can be fitted.

Henry's HO model tender is noticeably shorter in height than in the television series.

On James' original HO model, the wheels and axleboxes are painted grey and his smokebox saddle is painted red when they should all be black. The handrails are also white when they should be silver. The large scale model is devoid of these errors; however, the wheels are unpainted.

In an official forum post, a Bachmann representative revealed plans to update James to look more like his television show counterpart in 2015. However, once update artwork was sent to the factory, it was too late to change the production line at the time. James' updated model was released in late 2017, with black tender axle boxes, underframes, drawbar, and dummy coupling hooks, as well as silver handrails. The dome, whistle, and lining were also painted in a brass color as opposed to the gold color of the original model. However, the smoke box saddle remains red, the wheels became unpainted and it still has no front coupler.

On Percy's HO model:

The coal bunker is painted grey instead of black and is oversized.

The cab steps are mounted on the side of the running board instead of under it. Strangely, his prototype model did not have this problem.

Percy is the only HO locomotive not to have a rear dummy coupling hook.

He is slightly taller than his television series counterpart due to the way the cylinders are fitted.

On Duck's HO model:

The buffer housings are black instead of red.

The prototype model had a black footplate similar to Duck's CGI model and the top of his safety valve was also painted black, but they were changed to grey and green respectively on the production model.

Donald and Douglas' HO models lack cab side handrails that support the roof.

Oliver, Rosie and Paxton are the only HO locomotives to be based purely on their CGI renders. All other models, including those with CGI faces, borrow elements from the television series models.

Oliver's model lacks the tank front handrails.

Diesel, 'Arry, Bert, Oliver, Rosie and Paxton are so far the only engines in the HO scale range to have CGI-styled faces.

On Annie and Clarabel's HO models:

The underframes are painted grey instead of black.

There are no dummy coupling hooks.

The roofs are attached and have plastic frames and rectangles attached underneath them to resemble windows unlike the Large Scale models that have unattached roofs. Emily's coaches and the Christmas coaches have similar features.

Clarabel is missing her guard's compartment.

The coaches in the Thomas' Christmas Delivery and Thomas' Christmas Special sets are Emily's coaches repainted.

Terence's HO model has a removable snowplough.

Winston is currently the only character to date to be made in Large Scale but not HO scale.

In addition, he is also the first character that was first made in Large Scale, unlike the other characters who were all first made in HO scale and then made again into large scale.

The human figures were originally marketed as HO scale. But they are larger than HO scale and ever since the introduction of the Large Scale line, have since been relabelled as Large Scale items.

The HO models of Thomas, Annie, Clarabel and Emily's coaches made a cameo within the 2015 film "Ant-Man".

In close-up shots, Thomas' large scale model (with a different face, curiously) is used.

Percy's large scale prototype had a green coal bunker.

Most wagons throughout the Bachmann range are reused moulds of wagons made in the Bachmann Branch Line and Mainline Model Railways ranges, only with less details to suit younger children. The Narrow Gauge rolling stock also seems to be based off of Peco 009 gauge rolling stock, but without brake pipes.

The blue narrow gauge van has the letters "SR" painted on the side which stand for "Skarloey Railway" while the red van does not. Interestingly enough, the large scale Brake Van similarly has the letters "NW", meaning North Western.

The narrow gauge van's roofs were most likely originally painted grey, but were later changed to white as evidenced by the fact that the underside of the roofs is painted grey and visibly painted white on top afterward. This change is also likely since the roofs are slightly darker than the Peco models' roofs as a result of being repainted.

Bachmann models were used as guides for the Percy, James, Gordon and Emily replicas at Thomas Land.

Skarloey is the first locomotive model in the range to not have moving eyes and the first HO scale tank engine with an open cab.

The Thomas Deluxe Whistle and Chuff set is similar to the Percy and the Troublesome Trucks set.

The Trackside Station resembles the fourth season Glennock station building, but without the canopy.

Thomas and James' G Scale models are featured in the I Love Toy Trains DVD "Ticket to Ride" operated by Dave Simkowski.

Unlike the red version of the mail coach, the green version does not have its CGI mail emblems nor 'Sodor Mail' written in white. In fact, the green mail coach seems to be a "freelance" model as there never was a green mail coach in the television series.

Spencer's prototype model had differently shaped eyebrows and did not have his whistle, buffers, coupling hook and lamp irons.

Packaged Bachmann models of Skarloey and Rheneas are on display at the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Tywyn.

In the Large Scale range, all the locomotives have CGI faces; but strangely, Annie, Clarabel and the two Troublesome Trucks retain their model series faces.

The G scale models are the only Bachmann Thomas models to be released outside of North America, Australia and New Zealand (Hornby holds the license to make OO Thomas Models overseas).

The G scale models are larger than the Gauge 1 Model Series models.[1]

Thomas and Percy's HO models were used as different Bachmann models with the same mould. Thomas' model was repainted into engines such as 2005, Billy, and Stuart. Percy's model was repainted into GWR locomotives and Greg.

Contrary to popular belief and what is stated many times above, the range is actually OO scale; this is through the amount of stock re-used from OO toolings. The HO label is only included for the fact they are predominantly sold in HO standard countries.

Gordon's express coaches were the first Thomas Bachmann products to be reintroduced following discontinuation.